The FDA called on foodmakers and restaurateurs to reduce sharply the amount of salt in their products to help Americans avoid high blood pressure and the risk of chronic illness. The food industry balked, saying it already has low-salt products on sale and that the science on healthy salt levels was not as clear as the government says.
Americans consume almost 50 percent more salt than most experts recommend, said FDA in proposing “practical, gradual and voluntary” guidelines for the food industry to reduce salt in the U.S. diet to 2,300 milligrams per day from the current 3,400 milligrams over the next decade. The majority of salt in the diet comes from processed and prepared foods, said FDA, so “the deck is stacked against” people who want to cut back on salt.
“Today’s announcement is about putting power back in the hands of consumers, so they can better control how much salt is in the food they eat and improve their health,” said Health Secretary Sylvia Burwell.
FDA said its recommendation was in line with the new edition of the Dietary Guidelines for Americans and two studies by the Institute of Medicine. “The totality of the scientific evidence supports sodium reduction from the current intake levels,” said Susan Mayne, director of FDA’s Center for Food Safety.
The snack food trade group SNAC International said “the science is evolving,” and until there is consensus “policy changes to further reduce sodium intake should be avoided to minimize unintended consequences.” The Grocery Manufacturers Association also said more research is needed: “This evaluation should include research that indicates health risks for people who consume too much sodium as well as health risks from consuming too little sodium.”
One in three Americans has high blood pressure, said the FDA, a condition “linked to diets high in sodium and … a major risk factor cause of heart disease and stroke … Researchers have estimated [that] lowering U.S. sodium intake by 40 percent over the next decade could save 500,000 lives and nearly $100 billion in health care costs.”
The FDA suggested a two-year goal of reducing salt in the diet to 3,000 milligrams a day with the 10-year goal of 2,300 milligrams. The agency said it was confident the two-year goal is achievable. “In fact, many foods, such as top-selling pretzel products, have already met the short-term target,” it said. The FDA set a 90-day comment period for the short-term goal and 150 days for the 10-year target.
The consumer group Center for Science in the Public Interest, which has campaigned for federal action on salt since 1978, said the FDA proposal was a response to a lawsuit it filed last October for mandatory reductions.
“While this is a voluntary approach, as opposed to the mandatory approach we asked for and that the Institute of Medicine endorsed, it provides clear goals by which companies can be held accountable,” said CSPI head Michael Jacobson. “And, it helps level the playing field for those companies that are already trying to use less salt in their foods.”
The FDA proposal was unveiled two weeks after First Lady Michelle Obama announced the updated version of the Nutrition Facts label that appears on nearly 800,000 packaged foods.
Consumption of 3,400 milligrams of salt equals one-and-a-half teaspoons daily, said Politico. “The government has long urged consumers to limit their sodium consumption to 2,300 milligrams — and go even lower to 1,500 milligrams if they are at risk or have high blood pressure — but large, prominent studies have recently started to question whether there is adequate science to link high sodium consumption and adverse health outcomes.”